Mary Michelle has 60 acres of vineyards adjacent to the winery and grows most of the grapes that it uses for its wines. This Winery sells only through stores and restaurants. Mary Michelle’s winemaker is the award-winning Lucian Dressel, a fifth generation Greene County resident by way of Boston, New York, Augusta, Mo., and Davis, Ca. In 2003, inspired by the vision of the founders of Mary Michelle, Dressel returned to the Midwest to help make a contribution to the fulfillment of this dream.

After the Civil War, Confederate shipbuilder Joe Minch was looking for a fresh start. He made his way back to the Rockbridge area and traded his building expertise for a set of tools. That first project of building a barn set into motion a new trend in barn design. Joe placed round windows, now know as portholes, in the barn. Travel through Greene County today to view the highest concentration of Porthole Barns in the country.

The 9-hole "Lone Oak" executive course at the Lone Oak Golf Course facility in Carrollton features 2,150 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 32. Designed by George DeGeal, the Lone Oak golf course opened in 1984.

Visit the James J. Eldred House, completed in 1861, and step back in time to view one of the most elegant residential structures in the region and an important surviving example of Greek Revival architecture. The home had fallen into disrepair over the years, but with the creation of The Illinois Valley Cultural Heritage Association, the Eldred House has come back to life and is being painstakingly restored. The home is open for tours during the annual Greene County Days celebration.

Bluffdale is an Illinois farm vacation dude ranch and bed & breakfast. Parent Magazine's "Top 10 Family Resorts in North America." Our family has been welcoming guests to our historic Illinois farm near Eldred, Illinois since 1963. Recreation activities include horseback riding, boating, fishing, swimming, hayrides, bonfires, sing-alongs and more. Bluffdale is famous for its generous home cooked meals with home baked bread, rolls and pies.
Our luxury cabins, featuring a fireplace and hot tub, are ideal for romantic getaway weekend or honeymoon bed & breakfast lodging.
Spring brings a wide variety of wildflowers and morel mushrooms. In fall the bluffs make a colorful drive and eagle watch from Alton to Bluffdale along the Great River Road, a National Scenic Byway. Check our website for rates and availability.

With nearly 1,100 of its 1,380 acres primarily composed of oak and hickory stands, this area offers exceptional habitat for deer and squirrel, and is a good hunting area as well. In the winter, sight-seers ofter spot bald eagles along the Illinois River.

Catfish fritters and fried chicken are the specialties for this riverside restaurant. In the winter, view the eagles flying over the Illinois River as you enjoy some of the best fried fish and homecooked meals in Calhoun County. The Barefoot Restaurant is also famous for its ample food portions. Hours: T - Su 10:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Breakfast is served all day in this Mexican-style restaurant which boasts some of the hottest hot sauce in the area. Don't miss the Sunday buffet which is popular among locals and visitors alike. Open 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Sunday.

A bit off the beaten path, Straight Home Bar and Grill is well worth the effort to find it. The daily lunch specials are out of the ordinary and can run the gamut from crab alfredo entrees to chicken and dumplings to barbeque pork steak. There is no breakfast despite the early opening. But steak entrees are featured every Friday and Saturday. Hours: Monday - Thursday, 8:30 a.m. - 1 a.m., Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 2 a.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. - 2 a.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. - 2 a.m.

Built in 1929, this old-fashioned country hotel has every room decorated differently. Enjoy the rich colors of Calhoun County and the Illinois River at this quaint country inn. Reservations are required.

If you have a craving for sweet potato chips, fried chicken, brisket, and fritters in generous portions, then this riverside restaurant is where you need to go. This is the place all the locals go when they want a great meal at a reasonable price. Order a whole fresh pie to take home for a late night snack. You'll be glad you did! Hours: Su - Th 7:30 a.m. - 9 p.m. F -S 7:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.

If it's a burger and fries you want as you eagle watch or relax by the Illinois River, then this is the place to go. It's not a drive in but a sit down restaurant in spite of the name. Enjoy a homemade dessert or ice cream at the end of your meal and relax in this restaurant by the river. Hours: S - Th 7:30 a.m. - 9 p.m. F - S 7:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.

As you drive along the Hillview Scenic Bluff Road you experience a rare opportunity to visualize the pristine natural beauty of the early nineteenth century, agricultural farming of the river delta, the architectural significance of the early English settlers in their hi-style limestone homesteads, as well as the original beaut of the native prairie grasses that roll gently up into the limestone palisades along the river valley. This lower Illinois River Valley region is known by many archeologists to be the "Nile of the North America." Check out the online map of this trail in Greene County where you can click to learn of the early people and places of Green County's Lower Illinois Valley. While out driving the trail, please remember that most of the sites on the map are easily seen from the road and all are on private property.

Kampsville Landing offers two things at once: great homestyle cooking for those who want to eat out and a convenience store for those who just want to grab a snack. This family-style restaurant is located on the Illinois River. Hours: M - Th 6 a.m. - 8 p.m., F-S 6 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Take a drive down the Great River Road and stop at the Kampsville Inn Restaurant for breakfast (served all day during the week) or their famous fried catfish fillets or catfish fritters. Located on the river, customers can watch the Kampsville Ferry cross while they eat. A full bar is also available. Hours: M - Th 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., F 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.S 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. Su 7 a.m. - 11 a.m.

Located in Kampsville, the Center for American Archeology Museum is housed in the historic Kamp Store, offering a variety of exhibits focusing on the 10,000 year pre-history of the lower Illinois River Valley, the archeological history of Illinois and the history of the Kamp Store. Guided tours of the facility and excavation sites are available for groups of ten or more.

The only Orvis endorsed lodge in the state provides excellent hunting or relaxing getaways in the hils of Pike County. Enjoy ATV rentals, hiking trails, horseback riding, and outstanding home cooked meals daily.